Caskets and cremation containers are constructed from a plurality of materials, including wood, metal, and paper materials, as well as combinations of the foregoing. These caskets and cremation containers vary substantially in price. While wood and metal-based caskets can be expensive, paper-based cremation containers can provide a viable low cost option when cremation is contemplated. In fact, extremely low costs may be achieved by employing a corrugated paper cremation container, which is a fraction of the cost of hardwood or metal caskets. Even if cost is not a major consideration, corrugated paper caskets are a popular choice for cremation, in part because they are completely consumed during the cremation process.
Many corrugated paper caskets can have ornamentation and other design elements that approximate decorative wood or steel caskets. Many people find such paper caskets to be suitable for presentation at a viewing and/or funerary service. These ornately designed paper caskets represent a cost savings over hardwood caskets, and are particularly advantageous in cases in which the casket is to be consumed during the cremation process.
While ornately designed paper caskets are less expensive than hardwood caskets, they still represent a significant cost that may not be practical in some cases. In such cases, a more inexpensive option is a simple rectangular corrugated paper container and associated simple rectangular lid that fits over the container in a manner similar to that of a common shoebox. The deceased fits within the container and then the rectangular lid is fitted over the container to close off the casket.
The need for such inexpensive caskets arises in situations of financial need, and also in disaster areas where many deceased are located in a relatively small area. The paper container has significant advantages over traditional caskets in this environment including the ability to transport significant numbers of the lightweight paper casket and the disposability of such caskets.
While cardboard cremation caskets are typically considered to be an economical approach the storage of the deceased, a significant cost nevertheless arises as a result of shipping costs. Even though the caskets are fairly light, they are more or less as bulky as traditional wood and metal caskets. As a result, funerary and/or cremation establishments pay a shipping premium due to the size of the cremation caskets. One way in which such costs can be reduced is to ship the container unassembled, which requires less space in shipping and storing. In such a case, the funerary or cremation establishment is required to perform the assembly of the caskets. Assembly of the caskets can be relatively complicated and time consuming, particularly if performed on an intermittent basis at a retail point of sale. Thus, there is a need for a cremation casket that has reduced shipping costs without requiring complex assembly at the retail point of sale.
Another problem associated with cardboard containers is the cost of production of the casket relative to the cost paid by the end purchaser of the casket. Because one of the desired aspects of the cardboard containers is to provide an economical option to those paying funeral expenses, it is necessary to produce the caskets at a proportionately economical cost. Accordingly, the greater the number of pieces that must be produced, as well as the greater the number of different pieces that must be produced, increases the overall cost of production of the cardboard containers by requiring additional materials as well as additional machinery and manufacturing costs. Thus, there is a need for a cremation casket that has a reduced number of parts and different parts to reduce costs of producing the cremation casket.
Another problem associated with cardboard containers relates to the inability to raise the head and upper torso of the deceased within the cardboard container to a height which facilitates viewing of the deceased within the casket. Any mechanism used to raise the head and upper torso of the deceased must either be removable after use or must be disposable along with the cardboard container. Thus, there exists a need for a low cost alternative for raising the head and upper torso of the deceased that is removable or disposable.